[Downloaded free from http://www.jclpca.org on Saturday, August 3, 2019, IP: 49.15.245.
223]
Editorial
Evolution of cleft orthodontics in India
With the founding of the Indian Society of Cleft Lip,
Palate and Craniofacial Anomalies (ISCLP and CA), in
March 2001, comprehensive cleft care in India got the
much‑needed fillip. Although there were barely four
orthodontists, who enthusiastically joined as founder
members of the society, the number has grown to a
significant count. Out of the total membership strength
of 444, Orthodontists are the third largest group
consisting of 113 (25%) as per the current membership
status of ISCLP and CA. I have personally seen this
growth and feel proud of the steady increase in the
commitment of orthodontists for cleft care.
It would not be out of place to trace the progress of
cleft orthodontics in India. The undisputed credit of
comprehensive cleft care goes back to the time when the
Father of Plastic Surgery in India, Prof. C Balakrishnan
started the very first course in Plastic Surgery at
Nagpur in early 60s. At that time orthodontists were
a rare commodity and were limited to cosmopolitan
cities only. However, his conviction was so great that
he encouraged a general dentist to extend the required
dental care to the patients with cleft. As he moved
to Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and
Research (PGIMER), Chandigarh from Nagpur, he
ensured the formation of a Cleft Team in late 60s, by
including a Speech Therapist and a Prosthodontist. In
1974, an Orthodontist became available at the PGIMER
and Prof. Balakrishnan not only persuaded him to join
the Cleft Palate team but also encouraged him to play
a leading role in cleft care as an orthodontist. That was
my induction in cleft care, and rest is history. During
the same period, the Plastic Surgery Department was
established at King George’s Medical College, Lucknow,
Uttar Pradesh, India, for plastic surgery training and
it included a full‑time faculty post for an orthodontic
specialist. It is a matter of great satisfaction that till
today a full‑time orthodontic faculty is part of the plastic
surgery team, extending comprehensive orthodontic
care for all age groups.
It has been my pleasant experience to have observed
Indian orthodontists rising to the occasion and getting
involved in cleft care. Over the years, since my
founding role in ISCLP and CA, I have seen a steady
increase in interest by orthodontic colleagues, so much
to the extent that an increasing number of orthodontists
are attending the ISCLP and CA conferences every
year. Furthermore, a number of articles, related to
© 2019 Journal of Cleft Lip Palate and Craniofacial Anomalies | Published by Wolters Kluwer ‑ Medknow
cleft orthodontics are being published in Indian and
International Journals by orthodontic colleagues. These
articles cover a range of topics; PNAM, Face‑mask, pre
alveolar bone graft (ABG)arch preparation, Pre and
postsurgical orthodontics, Comprehensive Orthodontics
and coordination for rigid external distraction devices
and alveolar distraction, highlighting the positive role
of orthodontics in cleft rehabilitation. There is also
an increase in the scientific presentations related to
cleft orthodontics at the annual conferences of Indian
orthodontic society (IOS). The bug of cleft care seems
to have bitten the orthodontic profession, and there is
an increasing demand for training courses related to
cleft orthodontics. It is worth mentioning that the IOS
very recently organized an extensive program titled
“National Training Program in Cleft and Craniofacial
Orthodontics” with three modules at Bhubaneswar.
In this connection, I am trying to convince the IOS
to conduct a Half‑day session dedicated to Cleft
Orthodontics during its annual meetings, may be every
alternate year. It is my belief that the PGs during MDS
training should be exposed to cleft orthodontics so
that they are well prepared to face the challenge of
taking up such cases in their course of orthodontic
practice. It is a well‑known fact that some of the private
practitioners have done exceptionally well in cleft
orthodontics and are being invited at various events to
share their experience. Most of such achievers have had
an exposure to institutional cleft orthodontics during
the formative years of their learning, and their passion
for cleft care has been praiseworthy.
IOS with its current life‑member count of 3900 needs to
contribute more towards cleft orthodontics. There are
some roadblocks to this which need to be addressed.
More institutes should come forward to adopt the
responsibility of extending clinical training to willing
practitioners. Since cleft orthodontics is not routinely
covered in most of the PG programs, the departments
must make efforts to treat cases needing orthodontic
care.
Personally, I am not too happy with the current scene
of available orthodontic care to patients with cleft,
and there is a lot more to be done by all stakeholders;
institutes, surgeons, teachers, NGOs, and orthodontists.
Since a significant majority of patients, with repaired
clefts, require orthodontic care, the gap between supply
and demand is too large and needs to be filled.
1
[Downloaded free from http://www.jclpca.org on Saturday, August 3, 2019, IP: 49.15.245.223]
Utreja: Evolution of cleft orthodontics
It may not be out of context to recollect the pivotal
role played by few Indian Orthodontists in carrying
forward the concept of team care through their
passion for cleft care, as endorsed by the members
of ISCLP and CA, by electing them to the office
of Presidents of the Society, Prof. Ashok Utreja,
Prof. O. P. Kharbanda, Prof. Satinder Pal Singh and
more recently, Prof. Puneet Batra.
Ashok Utreja
Honorary Professor of Orthodontics, HS Judge Institute of Dental
Sciences, Punjab University, Chandigarh, India
Address for correspondence: Dr. Ashok Utreja,
Honorary Professor of Orthodontics, HS Judge Institute of Dental Sciences,
Punjab University, Chandigarh, India.
E‑mail: ashokutreja@yahoo.com
2 Volume 6 / Issue 1 / January-June 2019
This is an open access journal, and articles are distributed under
the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-
ShareAlike 4.0 License, which allows others to remix, tweak, and
build upon the work non-commercially, as long as appropriate credit
is given and the new creations are licensed under the identical terms.
Access this article online
Quick Response Code: Website:
www.jclpca.org
DOI:
10.4103/jclpca.jclpca_37_18
Cite this article as: Utreja A. Evolution of cleft orthodontics in India. J Cleft
Lip Palate Craniofac Anomal 2019;6:1-2.
Journal of Cleft Lip Palate and Craniofacial Anomalies